View from the parking lot...
Fiberglass engine cowlings...
RV10 fiberglass cockpits....
Quickbuild wings ready to ship....
Aaaw, the good stuff...engines ready to be shipped...
The tour ended when we walked out into the display hangar....wow, what a sight!! They had just about every model of RV in the is hangar.
The RV12 demo plane, wings removed, just about to 'ship' it to Sun 'n Fun. They didnt want to chance it trying to fly it down with the weather this time of year.
About 10am, here comes an RV4 taxiing in. Its 'Van' himself, when you are the owner you show up whenever you want. ;) Heckuva commute into work huh?! Joe told us that was RV4, serial number 4. Very cool!
Unfortunately the RV7 was down for maintenance, so I was offered a ride in the 200hp RV8A demo plane. I was a little disappointed not to fly the -7, but happy to fly a 200hp version with a Constant Speed prop since this is similar performance to what my plane will be like. Very impressive indeed! Takeoff roll was nothing short of amazing for someone who has flown Skyhawks and Diamonds! Even with two of us aboard, I could literally feel the g-forces push me back into the seat from the accelleration down the runway. Joe pointed out a spot about 850 ft down the runway and said we should be off the ground by then, sure enough, he didnt lie. The plane flies great, very responsive yet doesnt go anywhere you dont want it to go. 'Fingertip' flyng is the way to go in an RV, the stick forces are very light, but firm. I was grinning from ear to ear as I weaved through the Oregon clouds (14oo broken, 3000 overcast). If I wasnt convinced beforehand, the flight left no doubt this is the plane for me!!
Joe was nice enough to offer my father a ride as well. My dad has started RV empennage kits twice before, but unfortunately wasnt able to finish them. He has always dreamed of building an RV. This was his first ride in one! I was glad to see him get to experience this.
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